chapter 16 quiz OB
Which of the following statements is true regarding an organization's culture?
A dominant culture expresses the core values shared by a majority of the organization's members.
Which of the following does not work to create culture?
All A, B, and C (A)Founder hires the only employees who think as he/she does. B) Founder socializes employees to think and feel in similar ways. C) Founder acts in ways which allow employees to identify with his/her beliefs.)
Which of the following statements is true regarding the establishment of organizational culture and its effects on the organization?
Culture acts as a control mechanism and guides the behaviour of employees.
Which of the following statements is true regarding effects of national culture on organizational culture and ethical behaviour within an organization?
Generally, Canadian managers see bribery, nepotism, and favouring personal contacts as highly unethical.
Which of the following statements is true regarding the functions of culture in an organization?
It conveys a sense of identity for organization members.
Which of the following statements distinguishes between organizational culture and job satisfaction?
Organizational culture is descriptive, whereas job satisfaction is evaluative.
________ is a process that helps new employees adapt to the prevailing organizational culture.
Socialization
________ help employees understand the history and past actions of an organization and explain and legitimate current practices by anchoring the present in the past.
Stories
________ typically contain(s) a narrative of events about the organization's founders, rule breaking, or reactions to past mistakes.
Stories
Which of the following statements is not true regarding subcultures?
When we talk about an organization's culture, we are referring to its subculture.
A positive culture recognizes the difference between ________.
a job and a career
The key characteristic of organizational culture that addresses the degree to which people are competitive rather than easygoing is termed ________.
aggressiveness
One of the misgivings about managers offering employees praise for good work is that ________.
all A, B, and C
An organizational culture most likely to shape high ethical standards among its members is one that ________.
balances the rights of multiple stakeholders
The management wants to demonstrate support for the differences new employees bring to the workplace, but newcomers who wish to fit in must accept the organization's core culture. Which dysfunctional aspect of culture is indicated in the above dilemma?
barriers to diversity
The current trend of decentralizing organizations makes culture ________.
both B and C (more important than ever; difficult to achieve)
Larry has an employee who is amazing at clearly seeing rules and enforcing them. He has recently promoted her to the lead position in quality assurance. Which aspect of creating a positive organizational culture is Larry utilizing?
building on employee strengths
How can Canadian managers be culturally sensitive?
by listening more
A strong culture should reduce employee turnover because it results in ________.
cohesiveness and organizational commitment
The values that convey an organization's culture and are widely shared by a majority of organizational members are known as ________.
core values
Trends Inc. is an apparel company. To keep up with the latest changes in the fashion industry, the company has to come up with innovative designs and follow strict timelines. The culture of the company values aggressiveness, innovation, and risk taking. Aggressiveness, innovation, and risk taking are the ________ of the culture of Trends Inc.
core values
In recent years, ________ has become the primary concern in acquisitions and mergers.
cultural compatibility
Managers in developing economies would see which of the following as an ethical responsibility?
doing favours for family and friends
Trends Inc. is an apparel company. To keep up with the latest changes in the fashion industry, the company has to come up with innovative designs and follow strict timelines. The culture of the company values aggressiveness, innovation, and risk taking. The members of the organization accept these cultural values. They know exactly what is expected of them and these expectations go a long way in shaping their behaviour. In addition to this, the culture of the marketing department is outcome oriented and the finance department emphasizes attention to detail. These characteristics express the company's ________.
dominant culture
Barbara is the lead editor for a small, city newspaper. One of her advertising sales representatives, Mathew, is pulling in a lot of restaurant clients. Barbara realizes that Mathew is quite knowledgeable about food and speaks quite elegantly while describing different dishes. She has offered Mathew an opportunity to write a weekly restaurant review. Mathew is very happy with his new job role. Which aspect of creating a positive organization is being utilized by Barbara?
emphasizing individual growth
During the ________ stage, a new employee compares her expectations with the realities in the organization.
encounter
Elsa joined her new law firm expecting to participate in exciting environmental law cases and cutting edge research. After one month at the firm she still hasn't been assigned a case and spends most of her time filing standardized appeals for title disputes with insurance companies. In which stage of the socialization process is Elsa?
encounter
If there is a basic conflict between the individual's expectations and the reality of working in an organization, the employee is most likely to be disillusioned and quit during the ________ stage of socialization.
encounter
When you begin to notice things that are not as per your expectation, you are in the ________ stage of socialization.
encounter
Your first day at work is part of the ________ stage of socialization.
encounter
To create a more ethical culture, management should do all of the following except ________.
encourage unbridled competition
Which of the following steps could your supervisor take to best help you develop a commitment to your new company?
encourage you to develop friendship ties within the organization
Dynegy's headquarters has few individual offices, even for senior executives. The space is essentially made up of cubicles, common areas, and meeting rooms. This informality conveys to employees that the company values ________.
equality
Trends Inc. is an apparel company. To keep up with the latest changes in the fashion industry, the company has to come up with innovative designs and follow strict timelines. The culture of the company values aggressiveness, innovation, and risk taking. The members of the organization accept these cultural values. They know exactly what is expected of them and these expectations go a long way in shaping their behaviour. In addition to this, the culture of the marketing department is outcome oriented and the finance department emphasizes attention to detail. Based on the information in the example, we can say that Trends Inc. ________.
has a strong culture
Both ________ and strong culture achieve the same end result of predictability, orderliness, and consistency.
high formalization
2) Alessio's boss doesn't care whether Alessio works at home, at the office, or from his beach house. All he cares about is that the project is completed on time, on budget, and with exemplary quality. Which characteristic of organizational culture best describes this aspect of Alessio's job?
high outcome orientation
The selection process helps sustain the organization's culture by ________.
hiring candidates who fit well within the organization
Which of the following is not an example of stories?
how the new standard operating procedures will be implemented
A(n) ________ organization is an organization that takes on a life of its own, apart from its founders or members and is valued for itself and not for the goods or services it produces.
institutionalized
The ultimate source of an organization's culture is ________.
its founders
Which of the following act(s) as a common denominator to unite members of a given culture or subculture?
jargon and acronyms that are specific to the organization
Which of the following is most likely to result from a strong organizational culture?
low employee turnover
Nunya employees are allowed to dress informally. This is an example of a ________ through which organizational culture is transmitted.
material symbol
During the socialization process, to work out any problems discovered during the encounter stage, the new member changes or goes through the ________ stage.
metamorphosis
New employees are usually comfortable with their organizations by the end of the ________ stage of socialization.
metamorphosis
When you start to accept the differences between your expectations and the reality of the organization, you move into the ________ stage of socialization.
metamorphosis
An organizational code of ethics is a mechanism which works to establish a strong organizational culture by ________.
minimizing ethical ambiguities
Consistency of behaviour is an asset to an organization when the organization ________.
operates in a stable environment
"Stability" is one of the seven primary characteristics that captures the essence of an organization's culture. It indicates the degree to which ________.
organizational activities emphasize maintaining the status quo in contrast to growth
Janice works for a pet store where everyone is committed to the happiness of the animals. Often employees, bosses and hourly workers alike, come into the store "off the clock" and spend time training the animals. Everyone loves the store, the animals, and their jobs. This attitude of her coworkers inspires Janice to do her best. Based on this information, we can say that Janice is experiencing the effects of ________.
organizational climate
Which of the following refers to the shared perceptions organizational members have about their organization and work environment?
organizational climate
The key characteristic of organizational culture that addresses the degree to which management focuses on results rather than on the techniques and processes is termed ________.
outcome orientation
Which of the following characteristics of an organization's culture indicates the degree to which management decisions take into consideration the effect of outcomes on employees within the organization?
people orientation
Which of the following is not a means of transmitting culture within an organization?
people orientation
The ________ stage of the socialization process explicitly recognizes that each individual that the organization comes across during the selection process has a set of values, attitudes, and expectations about both the work to be done and the organization.
prearrival
The process of socialization consists of three stages. Which of the following is one of these three stages?
prearrival
You are new to an organization and do not really know what to expect about the socialization process. You are a recent M.B.A. and have an undergraduate degree in computer science. Your new firm is a software development company with an emphasis in the health care industry. Your hiring process includes campus interviews, a day-long trip for an interview at the company, an offer phone call and letter, and some promotional material sent via the mail. When you arrive for your first day at work, you spend half a day in an orientation session that is conducted by the human resources department, where you complete paperwork and receive a company handbook. Then you spend the rest of the day with your supervisor, who gives you a tour, introduces you to your coworkers, and explains your first project. After that, you begin working and getting to know the others in the company. You find that in most respects, your experience fits your expectations, but in some ways you are surprised by realities that you hadn't expected. None of these surprises is too difficult to accept, so you eventually begin to feel at home and happy with your new job. The information that you receive during the interviewing and hiring process is a part of the ________ stage of employee socialization.
prearrival
Which of the following represents the correct order of the three socialization stages?
prearrival, encounter, metamorphosis
Which of the following is not a characteristic of organizational culture?
process orientation
All of the following can help managers create a more ethical culture except ________.
providing informal mechanisms for employees to discuss ethical dilemmas
Nunya is a computer software company that employs highly intelligent, but somewhat unusual people. Every Friday, free lollipops, toys, or other treats are given out to encourage employees to remember how creative they were when they were children. All the new members of the organization are told about the founders who were three young people who "got lucky" and sold a video game that they invented. The employees are allowed to dress informally and can set their own working hours. The distribution of lollipops, toys, or treats every Friday is an example of a ________ that helps reinforce Nunya's culture.
ritual
Company chants are examples of ________.
rituals
The ________ process helps candidates learn about the organization and if applicants perceive a conflict between their values and those of the organization, they can remove themselves from the applicant pool.
selection
Nunya is a computer software company that employs highly intelligent, but somewhat unusual people. Every Friday, free lollipops, toys, or other treats are given out to encourage employees to remember how creative they were when they were children. All the new members of the organization are told about the founders who were three young people who "got lucky" and sold a video game that they invented. The employees are allowed to dress informally and can set their own working hours. Informing employees about the founders is an example of which technique for transmitting culture?
stories
Phil is new at JPS Corp., but after a week he already knows that the founder of the corporation started the business in his garage with only $4,000 and one client. This information was most likely transmitted to Phil by way of ________.
stories
In a(n) ________, the organization's core values are both intensely held and widely shared.
strong culture
Trends Inc. is an apparel company. To keep up with the latest changes in the fashion industry, the company has to come up with innovative designs and follow strict timelines. The culture of the company values aggressiveness, innovation, and risk taking. The members of the organization accept these cultural values. They know exactly what is expected of them and these expectations go a long way in shaping their behaviour. In addition to the organizational culture, the finance department emphasizes attention to detail. In this example, attention to detail is a part of the ________ of the organization.
subculture
Cultures that tend to develop in large organizations to reflect common problems, situations, or experiences faced by groups of members in the same department or location are often called ________.
subcultures
Which of the following is not a message conveyed by material symbols?
the marketing strategy of the organization
Culture is most likely to be a liability when ________.
the organization's environment is undergoing rapid change
Company chants are used to ________.
transmit company culture to employees
An organization's culture develops over time and is rooted in ________ to which employees are strongly committed.
values
The lack of frequent face-to-face contact in ________ organizations makes establishing a common set of norms very difficult.
virtual
Phyllis works for a corporation that recently fired three top managers who were caught using the company credit cards to lavishly furnish their offices and even purchase "office" furniture that was found in their personal homes. Which method of maintaining an ethical culture is Phyllis's company pursuing?
visibly punishing unethical acts
Which of the following is most likely to be the indicator of a strong organizational culture?
widely shared values
